How much living space people can afford in 15 major US cities

Families living in San Francisco can afford about 1,091 square feet. Shutterstock If you're considering moving to Los Angeles, get comfortable with close quarters — the typical family in this southern California city can afford a mere 757 square feet of living space.

That's according to NerdWallet's recent report estimating how much space a family earning the area's median income can afford in the 100 most populated US metros.

Pulling data on debt, housing costs, and home prices, NerdWallet assessed how much a "married couple family" (two adults with zero to four children, according to the BLS) with median income could afford to spend on a home while remaining within reasonable budget parameters. This recommended home price was then divided by Zillow's 2014 median price per square foot to calculate how big of a space the typical family can afford.